By Diagnostics World Staff
June 28, 2017 | Genoptix and Bionano Genomics today announced an exclusive agreement to co-develop information-rich diagnostics for selected hematologic oncology indications in the US using Bionano’s Saphyr System.
Bionano’s Saphyr System accurately visualizes the structure of a genome from a simple DNA sample isolated directly from cancer cells, removing the need for cell culture. It allows for the detection of all major types of structural variants with a sensitivity far greater than sequencing based methods, and with much higher resolution than karyotyping or fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) can provide.
The development efforts of Genoptix and Bionano will focus on indications within hematology-oncology where detection of large structural variations of the genome is required for accurate diagnosis. Cancer cells typically show a large number of major rearrangements of the genome, and their presence or absence can affect the characteristics of the tumor and its response to treatment and, therefore, direct clinical care.